


Flit, Float, Fly

by inukag123



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Akuma!Adrien, But only a little, F/M, You'll have to find out, adrienette - Freeform, maybe haha
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-24
Updated: 2016-08-24
Packaged: 2018-08-10 18:29:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,980
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7856380
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/inukag123/pseuds/inukag123
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Adrien has a terrible day with his father, causing him to lash out in ways that he had not meant to. Under the watchful gaze of the Tour d'Eiffel, will has actions have more consequences than what he intended?</p>
            </blockquote>





	Flit, Float, Fly

**Author's Note:**

> Hey guys, a bit of freeform writing! I hope you like it! 
> 
> also; IMPROMPTU FLAMETHROWERS ARE ALWAYS A BAD IDEA KIDS. THIS DOES NOT WORK. YOU WILL EXPLODE.

Adrien Agreste slammed the front door of his own home as hard as he possibly could, the bang he could hear echoing back around the room to his livid ears.

He thinks he broke the catch.

He doesn't particularly care.

He always hated that door anyway.

He span on his heel and stormed down the steps to the entrance, slamming his feet with every step.

The door rattled behind him, then a voice called out from the speaker by the gate as he passed it.

'Adrien?' Nathalie pleaded, 'Adrien come back!'

Adrien at first didn't acknowledge her as he passed the gate, but he span on his heel and appeared back in the camera's view.

Knowing full well not to push the button to record his voice, he shouted obscenities at the house and mostly everything Nathalie represented, including not so kindly implying where his father should remove his disproportionate cranium from whence it seemed to Adrian to have originated from.

Muttering darkly, he turned towards the empty street (to which Adrien was both thankful for and irritated at), and stomped off towards the tower.

\--

Marinette was sitting at the school's steps, nearly but not quite under the shadow of the Eiffel Tower cast by the first hints of sunset.

Her sketchbook was in hand, and her kwami seated next to her with a half-eaten cookie she was flailing to demonstrate her point.

'I'm telling you, Marinette, Adrien was staring at his phone the entire time during class!'

Marinette tapped her mechanical pencil against her bottom lip thoughtfully. 'What do you think it could mean?' She paused. 'I mean, sure checking your phone is fine, but flat out stare? Also, how did the teacher not notice him?'

'I think he was looking at the teacher every time she looked at him,' Tikki suggested.

'That's some serious spidey-skills right there.' Marinette remarked. 'Did you see what was on the phone?'

'Marinette,' Tikki reproached, flying up to her face, 'you can't use me to invade his privacy you know,'

The girl sighed. 'I know...-'

'Hey, isn't that Adrien now?' Tikki pointed over to their left, up the footpath.

Marinette without thinking opened her purse to allow Tikki and her cookie to fly inside, then made to stand up.

Adrien did not even see her however, and stormed past her, rubbing at his face frustratedly.

'Adrien?' Marinette called, concern flooding her.

He less seated and more slammed himself onto the bottom step a distance from Marinette, and buried his head in his crossed forearms, muttering to himself.

'Adrien?' Marinette repeated, approaching him. 'Are you alright?'

He remained seated for a long moment, before pushing himself to his feet again, took a few steps forward onto more level ground, startling the girl, and took a fighting stance towards an imaginary attacker facing him.

'What's the matter?' Marinette was seriously concerned for him, watching as he started to fence with an imaginary attacker, circling carefully.

But after a few steps, Adrien could not keep what little composure he had.

'I've had _enough_!' He nearly screeched, thrusting his imaginary blade towards the attacker. ' _Enough_ , you hear me!?'

Marinette could feel Tikki squirming uncomfortably in her bag, and the girl herself could not think as to what to do.

'You just see if I ever come back into that god-forsaken place! That _hell-hole!_ ' He dodged a thrust by turning to the side, extending his arm towards the face of his attacker. 'You-' Calling his attacker names that Marinette nor he himself knew that he even knew, he continued his frenzy, a wetness to his cheeks that he hadn't seemed to notice.

'ADRIEN AGRESTE!' Marinette shouted.

'DO _NOT_ CALL ME THAT NAME!' He screamed back, spinning wildly to land a hand on her should-but she caught it, twisting and carrying his momentum into a perfect flip, with him landing squarely on his back, the wind knocked out of him.

She did not let his hand and forearm go where she had flipped him, and stood over him carefully, breathing heavily.

He glared up at her.

'What is _your_ problem??' Marinette shot at him, squeezing his hand tightly.

He hardly recognised her however. 'Nothing.' He wheezed back sullenly. 'Nothing at all.'

Marinette softened slightly. 'Please, don't you want to talk about it? What have you had enough of? What's the matter with your name?'

He scowled, wrenching his hand from her grip suddenly, and with almost-catlike reflexes, rolled and was out of her arms-length.

Marinette balled her hands into fists, before pausing to realise that his ring had come off in her hand, now tightly encased in her fist.

And her heart nearly stopped when a butterfly insignia appeared on his face.

'Adrien; I'm _sorry!_ ' She shouted, seizing his outstretched hand and once again carefully hip-throwing him, where he lay stunned on the concrete.

The insignia flickered once, then disappeared.

Marinette stared at him.

Tikki flew out of her purse and peered carefully around one of Marinette's pigtails. 'We've never seen him like this before,' she murmured.

Marinette nodded slightly, not releasing her grip on him once again. 'What on earth could be wrong?'

Movement from the corner of her eye seized her attention. 'No...'

Approaching them slowly, an akuma was fluttering, as if unsure of itself.

She fell upon Adrien with a sureness that she had not possessed before in front of this boy knowingly. She shook him carefully. 'Adrien?'

He stirred, blinking quickly, his eyes not quite focusing.

'Marinette,' Tikki said concernedly, 'wasn't that a bit harsh?'

'I'm sorry!' The girl shot back, heaving the boy into a sitting position. 'I panicked!' She looked down at him, before slinging his arm over her shoulder and hauling him upright. 'Adrien, I'm so sorry!'

'M-,' He muttered, 'Marinette?'

'Yes, it's me! We have to move, Hawkmoth's after you!' She pulled him back up the stairs, towards the school.

'Call Ladybug,' he suggested, still not absorbing much, and dragging his feet.

_I_ am _here!_ Marinette internally shouted at him. _But I can't leave you alone to transform!_

The insignia appeared upon his face again, and he frowned.

'Huh?' Adrien shook his head, trying to clear his head of the dark words of Hawkmoth. 'I don't, know...'

'Don't listen to him!' Marinette waved a hand in front of his face. 'Adrien?'

The butterfly behind them flitted a little closer, and Tikki disappeared back into her purse.

Marinette shoved the contents of her hand in with the kwami, then slung her freed hand around the boys waist, pulling him a little higher. 'Adrien, what's he saying? None of it is true!'

Adrien didn't hear her, however he was becoming more alert. 'But, why?' He questioned. 'Do you think it's necessary?' The insignia disappeared, seemingly out of frustration, but Adrien was almost back. 'Marinette?' He looked at her suddenly, and she pulled him along all the faster as he took his own weight. 'I,' he frowned again, 'you,-' suddenly his eyes narrowed, and his head whipped around back in the direction of whence he came. ' _You-_ '

'ADRIEN.' Marinette said, right into his ear, and he jumped. 'THERE IS AN AKUMA BUTTERFLY AFTER YOU. DO. YOU. UNDERSTAND.'

'I don't care.' He growled. 'Maybe then he'd notice.'

Marinette turned and slapped him.

He glared at her, and the butterfly drew closer. The insignia took the opportunity to appear once again, and Adrien seemed to welcome it.

In retrospect she admitted that it wasn't probably the best idea, but nonetheless Marinette took him by the shoulders and shook him violently. 'DON'T LISTEN TO HIM!!' She shouted.

He seized her shoulders back in order to stabilise himself. 'What, so I'm not allowed to be upset? Just because some evil villain will prey on me if I don't?' He straightened, looking down on her. 'What sort of dystopian society doesn't let us every feel the tiniest bit bad?'

Marinette paused, before seeing how close the butterfly was. She twisted so she held his wrists, and pulled hard, dragging him in between the buildings. 'You are allowed to! We have the right to! I will-I mean, _Ladybug_ and Chat Noir will put an end to Hawkmoth!' She hesitated, before looking back at him, her feet unceasingly moving forward.

' _Hawkmoth!_ Can you hear me? You leave my friend alone! He doesn't deserve this!' She glared at the insignia. 'If you don't leave him alone this instant I swear to you I will crawl through that mask, track you down and, and, throw you through the nearest window, you coward!'

The mask flickered slightly, but didn't leave.

'He says; now now, no need to lose your head,' Adrien almost smiled at her, and Marinette paled as a second butterfly seemingly materialized on his shoulder.

'Oh _hell_ no,' she replied, yanking the boy out from under her akuma and legging it. 'Nope, nope, nope,' she pulled out her phone. 'If I can't get him, I'll have to call plan B.' She glanced back at the disgruntled boy at the end of her wrist and the butterflies in hot pursuit behind her. 'Nope, nope, nope, nope...Alya?'

_'Mari, what's the matter?'_ Alya didn't miss a beat.

Marinette almost had an inkling to turn super villain herself as Adrien pulled her up short, looking back at the butterflies. 'Come on you idiot,' she shot at him, yanking him off balance so she could pull him again. 'Don't make me flip you again!'

_'Mari what the hell? Where are you?'_

'Alya? I'm at the school! Adrien's going to be possessed by an akuma! There's a butterfly after me too! Help!'

_'What!? Girl, I'll be right there!' *click*_

Tikki poked her head out of Mari's collar. 'Why don't you just go ladybug and purify those akumas?'

'Well, yes, I'd thought of that, but if I leave him alone for a second then he'll go akuma on me! And I can't transform in front of him!' She hissed to the kwami.

'Right, yes,' Tikki worried, 'What's your plan then?'

'Right now it's just not getting caught. Maybe make Adrien see sense, then cleanse the akumas after that if I can. Damn it,' she cursed, 'where's that mangy cat when I need him?' She looked at Adrien. 'Do you have anything on you that could hide an akuma?'

Luckily, the insignia was momentarily gone. 

Adrien clenched his fists. 'No? Nothing but the clothes on my back, unless I am to be stripped of them as well,' He said darkly.

'No!' She paused. 'Well, good! But no, you shouldn't say things like that! Can you just tell me what the matter is?'

The insignia appeared again. 'You wouldn't understand.'

'Adrien, I am your friend! _Please,_ just tell me what's going on! Do not give in to Hawkmoth!'

'Marinette, how can you be so strong for everything?'

The girl let out an exasperated sigh. 'Because it's life! Life is hard, and complicated, and messy. But it's all we've got, and I don't know about you, but I'd rather seize every opportunity I have to make the most of what I have with my own two hands!'

Adrien stared at her, and for the first time, the akuma butterflies halted.

'...You sound like Ladybug.' He commented after a long moment.

_Well, maybe that's because I am._ Marinette thought as loudly as she could. 'Would you like to talk to me now?'

He sighed, looking away. 'I just,' he paused, but when he looked at her again, taking a breath to speak-

'ALYA TO THE RESCUEEEE!!' Came echoing off the buildings, and suddenly Alya was there, lighter in one hand, hairspray in the other.

'Alya!' Marinette replied, waving at her.

'Come and get some, you insects!' Alya shouted, spotting the winged creatures and raising both objects like they were weapons. 

Marinette turned her attention back to Adrien, to see the insignia over his face again. 'Adrien!' She called to him. 'Can you hear me?'

'Leave me alone,' he said surely. Marinette wasn't sure to whom he was talking to. 'It's not of your business.'

'Adrien we don't have time for your angsting!' Alya shouted at him, running between them and the butterflies, and flicking the lighter.

With a burst of fire, Alya covered the akumas in flames, grinning evilly.

'I can't get him out of my head,' Adrien muttered. He looked at Marinette with a pained expression. The girl noticed his hands were shaking.

'Adrien, it's going to be alright. Just talk to me.'

'Father's going to take me away, on a three-year tour around the world for the company,' he wobbled. 'I'm going to lose everything.'

Marinette flinched, and the butterflies dodging Alya's flames tried to make a beeline. 'Did you talk to him about it?'

The way his eyes narrowed, she regretted asking it. 'Of course I did. I talked at him for nearly an hour. Of course he didn't listen. I'm going to lose my life here, the school, my friends, lady-I mean the city, everything.' He took a long, shuddering sigh. 'All so I can spend all of my time with my father, and by that I mean I'll be in solitude unless I'm representing the Agreste name.'

Marinette had a slight twinge that she missed something important in there somewhere. Nonetheless, she pressed on. 'That's awful.' She paused. 'I didn't know it was that bad with your father.' 

He shook his head. 'I shouldn't have said anything. Sorry.' He added.

Marinette looked at him for a long moment. 'Have you thought about spending a few days away, at Nino's or something? Just to clear your head?'

'Nino's away for the whole week, his family's in Italy. His cousin's getting married, apparently.'

'Why don't you go to Mari's bakery for a while?' Alya said, having forced the butterflies to retreat uncertainly to a safe distance. She leaned her hands on her knees and breathed heavily, but maintained a strong stance against the twin threats.

Marinette flushed. 'Alya!' She complained, but stood tall. The adrenaline of Ladybug was still coursing through her veins. 'I mean, if you want? I don't want to force you, we could make up the couch?'

The insignia appeared over his face once more, but he shook it away. 'Maybe just for the afternoon.' He said instead. 'I don't want to impose.'

The butterflies were retreating, Marinette knew she'd have time to get to them as they wouldn't be going far. 

Alya straightened, grinning at the victory. 'Come on you two, food will make everything better.' She said, marching over and dragging them off.

\---

'Alya sent me a picture of the area we were in, she says  _"If you guys don't mention the scorch marks then I won't either"_.' Marinette took another bite of her tarte. 'We're lucky nothing actually caught on fire.'

Adrien sent her a small smile. 'I didn't know that hairspray and a lighter thing actually works.' He admitted, taking another eclaire. He really shouldn't, but he was too emotionally wrung out to care. 'Don't try that one at home, folks.'

Marinette paused, remembering something. She fished her hand around in the corners of her purse, before looking at Adrien. His mouth was stuffed with chocolate and pastry, and Marinette thought she was going to have a heart attack. 'It just came to me, I have something of yours.'

Adrien blinked at her, before swallowing hugely. 'What is it?'

She pulled out his ring, and presented it to him. 'You dropped this, a while ago. I had forgotten until just then.'

A moment of panic crossed his face as his eyes fell to his bare hand, then took the ring from her as fast as politely possible. 'Thank you so much!' He smiled at her.

She could feel a stupid grin appearing on her face, and she scratched at her neck awkwardly. 'It's fine! Uh, sorry about, well, everything that I did to you before.' She flushed even harder. 'I-I mean,'

He smiled at her. 'Don't worry about it. I'm surprised though, you're stronger than you look.'

As she laughed awkwardly, he looked around the room, at the table full of pastries, the curtains flapping in the gentle evening breeze, and the warm home that surrounded him. He could hear the bustlings of her parents in the kitchen, and remembered how welcoming they had been upon seeing the shaken mess that he had been. The warm smell of the bakery wafted around him, as it did the entire house; vanilla, bread and joy with every breath. 

He thought back to the mansion, cold and empty, with hardly a sign of living occupancy. 

He remembered his father, and the cold, unconcerned glare of contempt that had been turned his way ever since his mother had died.  
He thought back to Marinette's parents; how Tom had mussed his hair and handed him a chocolate croissant upon seeing him; how Sabine had clasped his hands lightly with a knowing smile.

He stood suddenly, and Marinette looked at him with concern. 

'Everything alright?'

'Yes,' he regretted moving so unexpectedly. 'Where's the bathroom?'

She gave him directions and he followed them, letting himself into the tiled room down the short hall. 

Carefully, he locked the door behind him.

Inspecting his ring carefully for any damages, he leant against the door and slid down it slowly, until he was seated on the floor.

He gazed at it for a long moment.

For an instant, he had thought he had left it at the Agreste mansion, undoubtably where his father would find it.

But it was here, and it was safe.

His freedom was intact.

As soon as it was nestled where it felt like it had always been, Plagg appeared before him, just like always.

Plagg looked at him, and it was with concern.

'Hey buddy, what's with the tears?'

Adrien was only partially surprised at the wetness of his face.

'I'm not crying,' he said, 'you are.'

\---  
\---


End file.
